Staff: The staff includes at least two experienced American teachers/professors with extensive experience teaching in New York City and abroad and usually a bilingual Chinese speaker who is qualified to teach English.
Summer 2013
Judy Manton taught English to adult immigrants in New York City for 32 years. She also taught English to professors at the South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 1980-82. She taught in various other parts of China prior to becoming the director of the Zigen program. She has been a professor of cross-cultural studies at a university in New Jersey for 22 years. Ms. Manton first visited China in 1972 and had the great honor of meeting Premier Zhou En-lai. Her late husband was active in helping China obtain a seat in the United Nations. As his American mother had been born in Fujian and later became a teacher there, he had grown up hearing about her love for China. He founded the China-America Relations Society and initiated some of the first exchanges between China and the United States. Judy Manton has visited China 21 times for a total of over 5 years living in China. She speaks some Chinese.
Dr. Cynthia S. Wiseman is tenured professor at City University of New York. She has been teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language for 35 years in various programs, including higher education, adult education, public and private elementary, middle, and high schools, and in Intensive English Programs both in the United States and abroad, including China, Senegal, Brazil, Mexico, and France. Dr. Wiseman is also a teacher trainer. Besides four summers training EFL teachers in Shanxi and Guizhou -- fShiloh, LinXian, & Huang Ping County-- she has taught in TESOL graduate programs in the US, including the New York University MA TESOL program and the New School for Research,with particular concentration on evaluation and assessment. She also teaches courses in Linguistics, and methods and priniciples of ESL/EFL. Dr. Wiseman earned an EdD in the Applied Linguistics program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focused on the assessment of second language writing.
The professors are assisted by Chinese-speaking college students and teachers from the U.S. and China who are either studying to become English teachers or who are actively teaching English.
Summer 2012
Emily He graduated from New York University in 2011 with a degree in Community Education and Empowerment. She has tutored adult ESL students at International Rescue Committee and worked as a student teacher in an advanced adult writing course at University Settlement, both based in New York City. She has also participated in various community service programs involving literacy education and adult basic education. In the fall of 2012, she will begin graduate school at Tsinghua University for a Master's in Public Administration in International Development. She currently resides in Beijing and speaks Mandarin.
Zoe Horlacher speaks Mandarin and is currently in her last year of high school in Singapore, at United World College of South East Asia. She has trained to receive an English Language Teaching certification from the British Council. She participates in the Beyond Social Services "Kids United" program, tutoring disadvantaged children from low-income backgrounds. She recently worked with BABSEA (Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia) to teach primary school students in Cambodia, as well as teaching in an orphanage in Thailand. Over the past 6 years she has taught in numerous schools in Guizhou with Zigen.
Summer 2011
Judy H. Manton, Director and Founder, Zigen Fund's English Teachers Training Program, jhmanton@gmail.com
Involvement with China Has Greatly Enriched My Life! My interest in China began in 1970 when my former husband founded the Committee for a New China Policy in an endeavor to help China become a member of the United Nations. His mother had been born to a missionary couple in Fujian and she spent part of her adult life as a teacher in Hua Nan College in Fuzhou. Therefore, as a child in Burma, India and the United States, he heard a lot about China from his mother. In October, 1971, the Peoples Republic of China replaced the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the United Nations. In appreciation for his contribution, the Chinese Peoples Institute for Foreign Affairs invited my husband to lead a delegation of twelve to China as their guests. Premier Zhou En-lai personally thanked Tom for his contribution to China’s obtaining the U.N. seat. During our conversation with Premier Zhou, I had the opportunity to present him with an emblem from the one-China movement in the United States. He smiled broadly and a Xinhua photographer snapped our picture together. As we flew back from China in January, 1972, President Nixon and his entourage flew over. During our 1973 visit as guests of Prime Minister Bhutto, as part of a Pakistani delegation which opened the inaugural route of Pakistani International Airlines to Beijing, we again had the opportunity to interact with Premier Zhou. My husband then founded the China-America Relations Society and China Worldwide Travel. And from 1980-82, I was the first ‘foreign expert’ at the South China Institute of Technology in Guangzhou. I taught English to professors and to the extraordinary class of “79, the first group of students to attend college after the reopening of schools at the end of the Cultural Revolution. I’ve returned many times to Guangzhou and am still in touch with some of my students. After that I led three tours to China and taught English in Qinghai, Fujian, and Qingdao. Then, in 2003, under the auspices of the Zigen Fund, I founded the English Teachers’ Training Program with emphasis on training village teachers. With no budget for materials and with only two volunteers, we taught the first class in beautiful Guizhou. After two more summers in Guizhou and one in Hebei, we moved to Shilou, Shanxi. This year we were warmly invited by the Bureau of Education in Shilou to again hold a program there, but this time to teach twice as many English teachers as last year. Whereas last year we taught 30 middle school teachers, this year we will teach 36 urban and rural elementary teachers as well as 22 village middle school teachers. I ‘m sure we will meet the challenge!
Cynthia S. Wiseman, Ed.D., Assistant Director, cynthia.wiseman@gmail.comengspeak@aol.comengspeak@rcn.comcwiseman@bmcc.cuny.edu Dr. Cynthia S. Wiseman is a professor at City Univerisity of New York. She has been teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language for 35 years in various programs, including higher education, adult education, public and private elementary, middle, and high schools, and in Intensive English Programs both in the United States and abroad, including Senegal, Brazil, Mexico, and France. Dr. Wiseman is also a teacher trainer. Besides two summers training EFL teachers in Shanxi, China -- first in Shiloh and then in LixXian, -- she teaches in TESOL graduate programs in the US with particular concentration on evaluation and assessment, but she also teaches courses in Linguistics, and methods and priniciples of ESL/EFL. Dr. Wiseman earned an EdD in the Applied Linguistics program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focused on the assessment of second language writing.
Liu Lei, Site Coordinator, liuli031202123@163.com
After graduating from Agriculatural University in Beijing, Liu Lei worked as a volunteer teacher in a remonte village in Shanxi Province. Becaue of his devotion to rural development, he was hired by the Zigen Fund.
Summer 2010
LizhiLiu (Cecilia), Assistant to Site Coordinator
Cecilia volunteered at Zigen Fund's English Teachers Training Program in Summer 2009. She graduated from a midwestern university and has returned to China. She spent a semester at Harvard. She has postponed grad school in social work at a university in St. Louis in order to do volunteer work at Zigen again Summer 2010. Jiao Qian, Volunteer, gforgirl113@sina.com Luo Xiaoling, Volunteer, luoxli219@yahoo.com
Luo Xiaoling, or Shirley, is a postgraduate student studying translation in Beijing Foreign Studies University. She wanted to join this tranning program for two main reasons. Shirley wanted to volunteer to be a teacher in a rural area of China because this will be a rewarding and interesting experience. She is also a person of curiosity who wants to experience different kinds of things and places. Shirley has never been to Shanxi Province before, and looks forward to this opportunity to get to know the local conditions and customs of Shanxi and broaden her exposure and life experience. She is also thrilled to have the chance to know other volunteers from America and hopes to make many new friends! Victoria Chen, Volunteer victoria_chen13@hotmail.com In high school Victoria was involved in many fundraisers and activities involved in helping international non-profit organizations.Most of these activities were through the Interact Club, (INTERnational ACTion Club) connected to Pleasanton North Rotary Club, at her school.As president, she was able to raise money for various non-profit organizations such as Hydraid and the TERMA Foundation.Although she spent a large amount of time organizing fundraisers and volunteering with my club and many other Interact Clubs in the district, she never had an opportunity to see how our efforts were directly affecting the individuals they sought to help.Through this opportunity provided by the Zigen Fund, she will be able to gain firsthand experience working with and helping other individuals, and this will hopefully help her gain more insight on the impact of organizations such as the Zigen Fund. In addition to her interest in having firsthand experience with the Zigen Fund, she has always had an interest in teaching. She was a student assistant in her junior year of high school as well as a peer tutor in her enior year.This year, she joined the FACTS Club (Folk Arts Cultural Treasures Charter School Club) at her college which is involved with volunteer work as tutors for children in grades K-8 at a Charter School in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.Through these experiences she developed a pleasure for teaching others. Victoria has gone to several countries by herself and with my family.Every year she goes to China at least once with her parents for around two or three weeks.Most of the time, they stay in Shanghai to visit relatives or go shopping with cousins.She has also gone to Beijing a couple of times. Tonya Yin, Volunteer, txyan@ucdavis.edu
Tonya is an incoming 3rd year from University of California, Davis. She is studying chemistry as an undergratduate, and has spent the past two summers working as an intern for laboratories in University of California, San Fransisco. She is also an American-born Chinese, understands Mandarin, and has an interest in her cultural heritage. Having spent most of her college years in laboratories, she is hoping for a new and enriching experience overseas with the Zigen Fund. She enjoys drawing as a hobby, and is proficient with digital painting programs like Adobe Photoshop. She also likes music, and played the piano for 13 years
.
Tonya
Xiong Yun Yun, (Constance), Volunteer, zhishikongbai@hotmail.com
Constance is from Beijing Foreign Studies University and majoring in Translation Theories and Practice. During the past five years she has taken part-time jobs such as translating, proofreading and compiling, and recently inished compiling a CET4 exercise book. She likes playing badminton and the Chinese chess and also knows a little about the game of go. But yoga is her favorite. She is also very interested in Latin dance. Constance is looking forward to volunteering at Zigen.
Luo Xiaoling - Shirley
Jia Hongmei (Tina), Shilou High School, Teacher and Consultant
Faculty and Staff
Staff: The staff includes at least two experienced American teachers/professors with extensive experience teaching in New York City and abroad and usually a bilingual Chinese speaker who is qualified to teach English.
Summer 2013
Judy Manton taught English to adult immigrants in New York City for 32 years. She also taught English to professors at the South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 1980-82. She taught in various other parts of China prior to becoming the director of the Zigen program. She has been a professor of cross-cultural studies at a university in New Jersey for 22 years. Ms. Manton first visited China in 1972 and had the great honor of meeting Premier Zhou En-lai. Her late husband was active in helping China obtain a seat in the United Nations. As his American mother had been born in Fujian and later became a teacher there, he had grown up hearing about her love for China. He founded the China-America Relations Society and initiated some of the first exchanges between China and the United States. Judy Manton has visited China 21 times for a total of over 5 years living in China. She speaks some Chinese.
Dr. Cynthia S. Wiseman is tenured professor at City University of New York. She has been teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language for 35 years in various programs, including higher education, adult education, public and private elementary, middle, and high schools, and in Intensive English Programs both in the United States and abroad, including China, Senegal, Brazil, Mexico, and France. Dr. Wiseman is also a teacher trainer. Besides four summers training EFL teachers in Shanxi and Guizhou -- fShiloh, LinXian, & Huang Ping County-- she has taught in TESOL graduate programs in the US, including the New York University MA TESOL program and the New School for Research,with particular concentration on evaluation and assessment. She also teaches courses in Linguistics, and methods and priniciples of ESL/EFL. Dr. Wiseman earned an EdD in the Applied Linguistics program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focused on the assessment of second language writing.
The professors are assisted by Chinese-speaking college students and teachers from the U.S. and China who are either studying to become English teachers or who are actively teaching English.
Summer 2012
Emily He graduated from New York University in 2011 with a degree in Community Education and Empowerment. She has tutored adult ESL students at International Rescue Committee and worked as a student teacher in an advanced adult writing course at University Settlement, both based in New York City. She has also participated in various community service programs involving literacy education and adult basic education. In the fall of 2012, she will begin graduate school at Tsinghua University for a Master's in Public Administration in International Development. She currently resides in Beijing and speaks Mandarin.Zoe Horlacher speaks Mandarin and is currently in her last year of high school in Singapore, at United World College of South East Asia. She has trained to receive an English Language Teaching certification from the British Council. She participates in the Beyond Social Services "Kids United" program, tutoring disadvantaged children from low-income backgrounds. She recently worked with BABSEA (Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia) to teach primary school students in Cambodia, as well as teaching in an orphanage in Thailand. Over the past 6 years she has taught in numerous schools in Guizhou with Zigen.
Summer 2011
Judy H. Manton, Director and Founder, Zigen Fund's English Teachers Training Program, jhmanton@gmail.com
Involvement with China Has Greatly Enriched My Life!
My interest in China began in 1970 when my former husband founded the Committee for a New China Policy in an endeavor to help China become a member of the United Nations. His mother had been born to a missionary couple in Fujian and she spent part of her adult life as a teacher in Hua Nan College in Fuzhou. Therefore, as a child in Burma, India and the United States, he heard a lot about China from his mother.
In October, 1971, the Peoples Republic of China replaced the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the United Nations. In appreciation for his contribution, the Chinese Peoples Institute for Foreign Affairs invited my husband to lead a delegation of twelve to China as their guests. Premier Zhou En-lai personally thanked Tom for his contribution to China’s obtaining the U.N. seat. During our conversation with Premier Zhou, I had the opportunity to present him with an emblem from the one-China movement in the United States. He smiled broadly and a Xinhua photographer snapped our picture together. As we flew back from China in January, 1972, President Nixon and his entourage flew over.
During our 1973 visit as guests of Prime Minister Bhutto, as part of a Pakistani delegation which opened the inaugural route of Pakistani International Airlines to Beijing, we again had the opportunity to interact with Premier Zhou.
My husband then founded the China-America Relations Society and China Worldwide Travel. And from 1980-82, I was the first ‘foreign expert’ at the South China Institute of Technology in Guangzhou. I taught English to professors and to the extraordinary class of “79, the first group of students to attend college after the reopening of schools at the end of the Cultural Revolution. I’ve returned many times to Guangzhou and am still in touch with some of my students.
After that I led three tours to China and taught English in Qinghai, Fujian, and Qingdao. Then, in 2003, under the auspices of the Zigen Fund, I founded the English Teachers’ Training Program with emphasis on training village teachers. With no budget for materials and with only two volunteers, we taught the first class in beautiful Guizhou. After two more summers in Guizhou and one in Hebei, we moved to Shilou, Shanxi.
This year we were warmly invited by the Bureau of Education in Shilou to again hold a program there, but this time to teach twice as many English teachers as last year. Whereas last year we taught 30 middle school teachers, this year we will teach 36 urban and rural elementary teachers as well as 22 village middle school teachers. I ‘m sure we will meet the challenge!
Cynthia S. Wiseman, Ed.D., Assistant Director, cynthia.wiseman@gmail.com engspeak@aol.com engspeak@rcn.com cwiseman@bmcc.cuny.edu
Dr. Cynthia S. Wiseman is a professor at City Univerisity of New York. She has been teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language for 35 years in various programs, including higher education, adult education, public and private elementary, middle, and high schools, and in Intensive English Programs both in the United States and abroad, including Senegal, Brazil, Mexico, and France. Dr. Wiseman is also a teacher trainer. Besides two summers training EFL teachers in Shanxi, China -- first in Shiloh and then in LixXian, -- she teaches in TESOL graduate programs in the US with particular concentration on evaluation and assessment, but she also teaches courses in Linguistics, and methods and priniciples of ESL/EFL. Dr. Wiseman earned an EdD in the Applied Linguistics program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focused on the assessment of second language writing.
Liu Lei, Site Coordinator, liuli031202123@163.com
After graduating from Agriculatural University in Beijing, Liu Lei worked as a volunteer teacher in a remonte village in Shanxi Province. Becaue of his devotion to rural development, he was hired by the Zigen Fund.
Summer 2010
LizhiLiu (Cecilia), Assistant to Site CoordinatorCecilia volunteered at Zigen Fund's English Teachers Training Program in Summer 2009. She graduated from a midwestern university and has returned to China. She spent a semester at Harvard. She has postponed grad school in social work at a university in St. Louis in order to do volunteer work at Zigen again Summer 2010.
Jiao Qian, Volunteer, gforgirl113@sina.com
Luo Xiaoling, Volunteer, luoxli219@yahoo.com
Luo Xiaoling, or Shirley, is a postgraduate student studying translation in Beijing Foreign Studies University. She wanted to join this tranning program for two main reasons. Shirley wanted to volunteer to be a teacher in a rural area of China because this will be a rewarding and interesting experience. She is also a person of curiosity who wants to experience different kinds of things and places. Shirley has never been to Shanxi Province before, and looks forward to this opportunity to get to know the local conditions and customs of Shanxi and broaden her exposure and life experience. She is also thrilled to have the chance to know other volunteers from America and hopes to make many new friends!
Victoria Chen, Volunteer victoria_chen13@hotmail.com
In high school Victoria was involved in many fundraisers and activities involved in helping international non-profit organizations.Most of these activities were through the Interact Club, (INTERnational ACTion Club) connected to Pleasanton North Rotary Club, at her school.As president, she was able to raise money for various non-profit organizations such as Hydraid and the TERMA Foundation.Although she spent a large amount of time organizing fundraisers and volunteering with my club and many other Interact Clubs in the district, she never had an opportunity to see how our efforts were directly affecting the individuals they sought to help.Through this opportunity provided by the Zigen Fund, she will be able to gain firsthand experience working with and helping other individuals, and this will hopefully help her gain more insight on the impact of organizations such as the Zigen Fund.
In addition to her interest in having firsthand experience with the Zigen Fund, she has always had an interest in teaching. She was a student assistant in her junior year of high school as well as a peer tutor in her enior year.This year, she joined the FACTS Club (Folk Arts Cultural Treasures Charter School Club) at her college which is involved with volunteer work as tutors for children in grades K-8 at a Charter School in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.Through these experiences she developed a pleasure for teaching others.
Victoria has gone to several countries by herself and with my family.Every year she goes to China at least once with her parents for around two or three weeks.Most of the time, they stay in Shanghai to visit relatives or go shopping with cousins.She has also gone to Beijing a couple of times.
Tonya Yin, Volunteer, txyan@ucdavis.edu
Tonya is an incoming 3rd year from University of California, Davis. She is studying chemistry as an undergratduate, and has spent the past two summers working as an intern for laboratories in University of California, San Fransisco. She is also an American-born Chinese, understands Mandarin, and has an interest in her cultural heritage. Having spent most of her college years in laboratories, she is hoping for a new and enriching experience overseas with the Zigen Fund. She enjoys drawing as a hobby, and is proficient with digital painting programs like Adobe Photoshop. She also likes music, and played the piano for 13 years
.
Xiong Yun Yun, (Constance), Volunteer, zhishikongbai@hotmail.com
Constance is from Beijing Foreign Studies University and majoring in Translation Theories and Practice. During the past five years she has taken part-time jobs such as translating, proofreading and compiling, and recently inished compiling a CET4 exercise book. She likes playing badminton and the Chinese chess and also knows a little about the game of go. But yoga is her favorite. She is also very interested in Latin dance. Constance is looking forward to volunteering at Zigen.
Jia Hongmei (Tina), Shilou High School, Teacher and Consultant